Chocolate Decadence Cake

in Diana's Recipe Book

Comments: This fabulous dessert is a legend in its own time. Although many have claimed to be the creator, it was in fact developed at Narsai’s restaurant in Berkeley, California, by chef Narsai David and pastry chef Janice Feuer. To be completely authentic, you should use Ghirardelli sweet dark chocolate.

Instructions: To Make the Raspberry Sauce: Place the raspberries, sugar and framboise, if using, in a blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth. If you prefer a seedless sauce, pass the puree through a sieve.

To Make the Cake: Position a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F/220 degrees C. Butter an 8 or 9-inch springform pan or a layer cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper cut to fit precisely. Butter the paper and dust with flour; tap out any excess.

Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl or the top pan of a double boiler. Set over a pan of gently simmering water but not touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted and combined completely. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light, fluffy and tripled in volume, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg mixture, taking care not to deflate the batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for exactly 15 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature. Do not refrigerate or the cake will stick to the pan. Invert the cake onto a flat serving plate and peel off the paper.

Cut into small wedges and serve each wedge atop some of the raspberry sauce. Top with whipped cream.

Reviews

Reviewer: LinaRating:Review:looks so tempting @ 1st sight....decided to try it & it was really mouth-watering..

Reviewer: johnRating:Review:Great rich cake! Even better coated with chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings around the sides.

Reviewer: HayleyRating:Review:This cake is certainly rich and moist and light, and I'll certainly bake it again, with just a few adjustments. Probably because I'm more familiar with cocoa solids percentages in chocolate as a gauge of bitterness and sweetness in chocolates, I used a combination of equal amounts of chocolates with 70% cocoa solids and 34% cocoa solids. The cake turned out a little bit bitter than I liked so will adjust the combination accordingly the next time. This chocolate info may be helpful to those of us who are not familiar with the U.S. expressions of semisweet and bittersweet. Also, do give the cake exactly 15 minutes of baking time as the recipe says even if the top may not look 'done' as the cake does keep cooking when taken out of the oven. I gave it just 3 minutes more in the oven and think I've overbaked! Although still moist inside, the cake could do with being just a little bit wobbly inside. One last important tip - if using a springform cake tin, do remember to place the tin on a baking sheet to collect any oils the batter will ooze out during baking, as mine did. Overall, a fabulous cake to serve the chocoholics! Hope these comments help.

Reviewer: JojoRating:Review:An elegant & delicious dessert, served with vanilla icecream, at a friend's dinner party and everyone loves it. Rich mousse-like cake that melts in your mouth. Top marks for its very easy method, simple ingredients and almost perfect result. Definitely a keeper.